Jason took a break from the weights and retrieved the bottle of water from his gym bag. Tommy, however, started another series of reps.
"How'd it go with your folks?" he queried. He hadn't spoken to his best friend since the Red Ranger had decided to come out.
"All right," Tommy grunted as he released the bar. He sat up on the bench, and Jason tossed him a towel. "They were very surprised but totally supportive."
"I knew they would be," the former Gold Ranger said, a touch smug that he should know his friend's parents better than their son. "Did you tell them everything, including your feelings for me?"
"I wasn't planning on bringing you into it, since we're not lovers," Tommy continued, looking a little sheepish, "but Dad made a crack about thinking that you might be just my type, and I blew it by blushing." He regarded his companion's raised eyebrows. "Mom just gave him one of her looks...."
Jason knew how devastating one of Mrs. Oliver's looks could be. One did not want to be on the receiving end of her gaze when her hazel eyes darkened to almost brown!
"It's okay; I figured your mom would make the connection," he responded dismissively. "What did she have to say about Kimberly?"
"Oh, man," Tommy grimaced. "Once she made absolutely certain that I knew she accepted my being bisexual, she ripped me but good for what I'd put Kim through." The memory of her scathing diatribe made his skin prickle as if sunburned.
"Your mom always thought a lot of Kim," Jason chuckled. "She read you the riot act, huh?"
"Let's just say it all boiled down to her asking what I was going to do to make things right with Kim."
"Good question...." Jason began; however, he lost his train of thought as he happened to glance over at the team's usual table and found Tanya, Adam and Rocky huddled together. He was glad to see that the former Blue Ranger wasn't isolating himself from the others in the wake of his forced retirement.
There was something about the way they were conversing, though, that struck him as odd: the hushed voices, the way their heads were bent together, the furtive glances around... as if making sure they weren't overheard. It was almost like when they discussed Ranger business; however, judging by Adam and Rocky's shocked expressions at whatever the Yellow Ranger was so earnestly relating, it wasn't likely to be 'business.' It wasn't until Rocky shot an incredulous glance in his and Tommy's general direction that the former team leader had a good guess as to what was up.
"By the way, bro, how'd Katherine react," he asked abruptly.
Tommy sighed regretfully. "She was shocked and pretty upset.... She was angry because I wanted to break it off with her, but once I got into explaining everything, she didn't say much. When I left, she was just sitting at the table, zombie-like."
"How much you want to bet she saved her tears for her best friend's shoulders?" Jason responded, cocking his head towards their friends' huddle.
Tommy closed his eyes and groaned. He had not foreseen word getting around so quickly.
"You were planning on letting the others know, weren't you?"
"Yes, but...." The Red Ranger shrugged it off with a sigh, then pushed himself up from the weight bench. "Oh, well, at least I won't have to go through everything all over again, but I suppose I should go explain things and do some damage control for you."
"For me?"
"You don't want word getting to Emily that you and I are lovers, do you?"
Jason was about to insist that that was absurd, but then he thought about how easy it was for information to be reshaped in the sharing. "Right. Thanks. So you went ahead and told Kat about me being in the picture?"
"You told me to tell her everything," Tommy replied, a trifle defensively. "Besides, she demanded to know who 'the guy' was. I guess she thought I was being a coward and making up some wild excuse for breaking up with her. All the fight seemed to leave her when I mentioned your name. I think she knew I wouldn't drag you into something like this for no reason." He reached down to collect his bag. "I'd best go face the music."
"I'd better come, too," Jason announced. "You're liable to make a bigger mess of things without some backup."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, bro," Tommy grumbled with a mock pout.
Jason just laughed and slapped his friend on the back.
As the two neared their teammates' table, they heard Adam firmly announce, "I don't believe it. I refuse to. You never saw him and Kimberly together."
"He wouldn't be the first man to date a girl to hide his homosexuality," Tanya pointed out.
"Bisexuality," Tommy corrected softly, and the trio looked up quickly, sporting guilty flushes. The Red Ranger settled his gaze on his yellow-clad teammate. She shot him a skeptical look as if to say, methinks thou dost protest too much. "Trust me, Tanya; if I was 100% gay, I would not be in the mess I'm in now. I take it Kat's talked to you."
"Can you blame her?" Tanya countered tightly. "You've just turned her whole world topsy-turvy. How would you expect her to react to finding out her boyfriend is still hung up on his ex and another guy?"
The last dripped with accusation.
"That isn't fair," Jason interjected. "Tommy didn't do this to Katherine on purpose. Do you think it's been easy on him --especially keeping it a secret?"
The admonition was not lost on the others.
"You mean it's true?" Adam gulped, regarding Tommy in astonishment. "You're really attracted to guys?"
"Yes."
"When'd you figure this out?" Rocky wondered. "I mean, we had no clue...."
"Back before Rita made me the evil Green Ranger. I've had plenty of practice in keeping this to myself."
"What about him?" the recently retired Blue Ranger blurted out, eyeing Jason questioningly.
"Do you mean when did I find out or am I bi, too?" Jason asked.
"While I think Jase is absolutely gorgeous, unfortunately, I'm not his type. Emily is," was Tommy's flippant reply. The stunned look on his teammates' faces --as well as Jason's blush-- was priceless. "Look, guys, I've been through all the soul searching; I'm comfortable with my decision now and with you guys knowing. I'd have said something sooner, but I didn't know how to tell you, that's all."
"Oh, man," Rocky groaned.
"Did Kimberly know?" Tanya wondered. Katherine hadn't been very clear on that part of the story.
"Yes."
"And she dated you anyway? The poor thing! No wonder she dumped you."
"I didn't mean to hurt Kim anymore than I meant to hurt Kat; it just happened!" Tommy began heatedly; however, the exclamation died on his lips when he noticed Katherine's arrival. Her face was expressionless as she headed towards the table. Tommy swallowed anxiously.
Kat did not pull up a chair, but remained standing; her steady gaze fixed on their team leader. Everyone else had fallen silent.
"Hello, Kat," Tommy mumbled at last, bracing himself for her justifiable anger.
"All I have to say to you, Tommy Oliver, is that you'd better find some way of convincing Kimberly that you truly love her, or I'll kick your bum from here to the moon." With her statement delivered, Kat's forbidding facade crumbled, and she offered Tommy a reassuring smile.
The Red Ranger smiled with relief then reached out to catch Kat's hand, giving it a heartfelt squeeze.
"Thank you for understanding," he said. Then he cast a pleading glance around the table. "Please, guys, I really could use your support... and your help."
"You've got both," Adam said, speaking for everyone else at the table.
"So, you're needing a way to convince Kim she was more than just a Jason stand-in," Rocky said indelicately, getting down to business. His companions scowled at him for his lack of tact.
"Actually, I think I may know of a way," Jason piped up suddenly.
"How?" Tommy asked, his face shining with hopeful eagerness.
"I think it's time Kim and I resumed our bilge conversation."